Chapter 10 Notes
Launching the New Ship of State
a.) Within twelve years following the revolution, the American people had overthrown
the old
British regime and also the Articles of Confederation; There was a decade of
lawbreaking and
constitution smashing; Revenue had also declined to a trickle and public debt was
growing to an
increasingly large amount; Worthless paper money, both state and federal, was as
plentiful as metallic
money was scarce; America’s national security was also threatned by wars in
Europe, particularly the
French Revolution of 1789; Even after the battles over the constitution, conflict in
America still raged
about the nature of government; People such as Thomas Jefferson and James
Madison promoted
limited government and others such as George Washington and Alexander
Hamilton wanted to extend
the powers of the government in order to create institutions that could strengthen the
country;
b.) When the constitution was launched in 1789, the Republic was continuing to
grow at an
amazing rate; Population was doubling about every 25 years and the first official
census of 1790
recorded about 4 million people; Cities began to blossom as Philadelphia numbered
42,000, New York
had 33,000, Boston had 18,000, Charleston had 16,000, and Baltimore had 13,000;
America’s population
was still about 90 percent rural despite these cities beginning to grow; All but 5
percent of the people
lived east of the Appalachian Mountains; The people that lived west of the
mountains resided mostly in
Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio (all of which were welcomed as states within 14
years);
c.) George Washington, the war hero, was unanimously drafted as president
by the Electoral
College in 1789 (the only presidential nominee ever to be unanimously
elected); Washington left Mount
Vernon for New York (which was the temporary capital) and was greeted by roaring
canon fire, flower
carpeted roads, and singing and shouting by citizens; He took oath of office on
April 30, 1789 on a
crowded balcony overlooking Wall Street; Washington put his stamp on the
government by establishing
his cabinet;
d.) Many criticized the Constitution drafted in Philadelphia for its failure to provide
guarantees
of individual rights such as freedom of religion and trial by jury; Many states had
ratified the
Constitution on the understanding that it would be amended to provide such
guarantees; Drawing up a
bill of rights headed the list of imperatives facing the new government; Amendments
to the Constitution
could be proposed in either of two ways- by a new constitutional convention
requested by two-thirds of
the states or by two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress; Fearing that a new
convention might
unravel the narrow federalist victory in the ratification struggle, James Madison
determined to draft the
amendments himself; He then guided them through Congress, where his political
skills were quickly
making him a leader; Adopted by the necessary number of states in 1791, the Bill
of Rights became the
first 10 amendments to the Constitution which safeguarded American
principles; The first Congress also
created effective federal courts with the Judiciary Act of 1789 which organized
the Supreme Court;
e.) National parties in a modern sense were relatively unknown when Washington
took oath;
There had been Whigs and Tories, federalists and antifederalists, but these
groups were factions rather
than parties; They had sprung into existence over hotly contested special issues and
faded away when
their cause had fizzled; The founders in Philadelphia did not envision the existence
of permanent
political parties; After Hamilton’s economic policies were adopted political parties
began to form in
opposition;
f.) When Washington’s first administration ended in early 1793, two parties existed
due to
Hamilton’s domestic and economic policies; When Washington’s second term
began, foreign policy
issues brought the differences between them to a fever pitch; Only a few weeks after
Washington’s
inauguration in 1789, the curtain had risen on the first act of the French Revolution;
26 years would pass
before the continent of Europe collapsed into a peace of exhaustion; Once the
revolution in France was
in full swing, America had to decide on whether or not to support it; Washington did
not believe that the
US could survive a European war and with the Reign of Terror in 1793, America
shifted focus away from
France due to the brutality of the revolution;
g.) One positive thing to come out of Washington’s plan of government came
with the Whiskey
Rebellion in 1794; The Whiskey Rebellion flared up in 1794 in southwestern
Pennsylvania and
immediately challenged the new government; Hamilton’s high tax hit these
pioneer folks hard; Defiant
whiskey makers tarred and feathered revenue officers which brought a halt to
the collections;
Washington summoned militias of several states and an army of around
13,000 and captured the
“Whiskey Boys”; Washington later pardoned the culprits; Only three people
were killed in the rebellion
but the consequences were large; Washington’s government now commanded
a new respect but he
gained a reputation of using a sledgehammer to squash a gnat;
h.) Washington’s policy of neutrality was tried by the British; For 10 years they had
been
retaining the chain of northern frontier posts on US soil which was a violation of the
peace treaty of
1783; The London government was reluctant to abandon the fur trade in the Great
Lakes region and also
hoped to build an Indian buffer state to contain the Americans; British agents openly
sold firearms to
the Indians of the Miami Confederacy, which was an alliance of eight Indian nations
who terrorized
Americans by invading their lands; Little Turtle, war chief of the Miamis, gave notice
that the
confederacy regarded the Ohio River as the US’s northwestern and their own
southeastern border; In
1790 and 1791, Little Turtle’s men defeated armies led by General Harmar and
Arthur St. Clair, killing
hundreds of soldiers and handing the US one of its worst defeats on the
frontier; But in 1794, a new
army under the command of General “Mad Anthony” Wayne defeated the
Miamis at the Battle of Fallen
Timbers; The British refused to shelter the Indians that were fleeing from the
battle; After being
abandoned by the British the Indians soon offered Wayne the peace pipe and
in the Treaty of Greenville
in August 1795, the confederacy gave up large tracts of land of the Old Northwest,
including most of
present day Indiana and Ohio; In exchange the Indians received a lump sum of
20,000 dollars and an
annual payment of $9,000; They also got the right to hunt and fish on the lands that
they had given up;
i.) The next step for Americans was who would succeed George Washington;
Alexander
Hamilton was the best known member of the federalist party, now that
Washington had bowed out; But
his financial policies had made him so unpopular that he could not hope to be
elected president; The
Federalists were forced to turn to Washington’s vice president, John Adams; The
DemocraticRepublicans naturally turned to their leader, Thomas Jefferson; Political passions
ran high during the
campaign of 1796; John Adams narrowly won the election in the Electoral College
by a count of 71 votes
to 68;
Washington for President
• Won unanimous approval from Electoral College
– Federalists won 44 of 52 seats in Representatives
– John Adams was Vice President
• He paid attention to image of Presidency
– Wanted it to be dignified and important to the world
• Presidential Cabinet
– Created to give advice to the President
• Secretary of Treasury – Alexander Hamilton
• Secretary of War – Henry Knox
• Secretary of State – Thomas Jefferson
• Attorney General – Edmund Randolph
– Washington let Congress approve appointments but
insisted President had sole authority to remove them
Bill of Rights
•Many states and Anti-Federalists only supported Constitution with understanding that
it would be amended to protect individuals rights
• James Madison wrote and insured passage of Bill of Rights
Judiciary Act 1789
• Set up court system for US
– Supreme Court, 3 circuit courts, 13
District Courts
– John Jay named first Chief Justice of
Supreme Court
– US Attorney and US Marshall created
to serve as prosecutor and police
– Meanings of federal law, treaties,
conflict between state and federal law
would be heard in District Court
• Insured federal judges have final
say over Constitution
Rise of Political Parties
• Factions existed before parties – Whigs/Tories; Federalist/Anti-Federalist
– Factions are formed for an issue; parties are permanent organizations
• Political parties emerge in opposition to Hamilton’s economic policies.
• Federalists
– Led by Alexander Hamilton, mostly northern
– Favored strong central government and economic growth
– Little faith in masses of people
• favored rule by “gentlemen”
• Democrat-Republicans
– Led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, mostly southern
– Disliked cities and factories. Preferred smaller populations where people knew each
other
– Believed America would provide food for Europe, and Europe would provide
manufactured
goods in return
– Feared strong central government
French Revolution
• Middle class and poor revolt against French King
• America had to decide if it would support France
– Many saw it as continuation of ideals of American
Revolution
• 1793 Reign of Terror shifted American opinion away
from France
Proclamation of Neutrality
(April 1793)
• Franco-American alliance (1778) pledged America to help
defend French West Indies
– Democratic-Republicans and Jefferson were eager to
support France
• Washington did not believe the US could survive a European
war economically, militarily or politically
– Needed a generation of peace for US to grow strong
enough to compete with Europe
• US declared neutrality
– Fed into US tendency towards isolation from European
affairs
– Allowed US merchants to trade with both sides in war,
America took over Caribbean sugar trade
Whiskey Rebellion (1794)
• National government put tax on whiskey
• Farmers in southwestern Pennsylvania
revolted against tax
– Whiskey was not only commodity but a
medium of exchange as well
– Protested using similar techniques as
Sons of Liberty in 1765
• Washington stopped rebellion with militia
– Proved national government was strong
(unlike in Shays Rebellion)
Embroilments with Britain
• Britain refuse to give up forts in Northwest
– Wanted to continue Great Lakes fur trade
– Build Indian nation as buffer with Canada
• Britain wanted to starve French West Indies with a
blockade
– Britain stopped American ships in Caribbean and
impressed or imprisoned American sailors
• Forced Americans into British navy
• Many Americans argued for war with Britain
– Hamilton wanted peace with Britain to protect
American trade
Treaty of Greenville (1795)
• British supply weapons to Miami Confederacy led by Little Turtle
– Miami were successful beating US Generals
• Miami are defeated at Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794
– British refuse to protect Indians
• Treaty of Greenville (1795)
– Indians agree to allow settlement in Ohio Valley in exchange for money and
recognition of
Miami sovereignty
Washington’s Farewell Address (September
1796)
• Washington refuse to serve a third term
• Warned against sectionalism and secession
• Warned against political parties
• Warned the US should avoid “entangling
alliances” with other countries
• Favored temporary alliances, not
permanent ones
Election of 1796
• Alexander Hamilton made too many
enemies putting his financial plan in place
to be a viable Federalist candidate
• John Adams –Federalist
– Very qualified, but unpopular – rough
personality
– Hamilton and Adams hated each other
which divided the party
• Thomas Jefferson -Democrat-Republicans
– Used Whiskey Rebellion and Jays
Treaty against Federalists
• Campaign became personal and nasty
• Adams wins, Jefferson came in second, so
becomes Vice President
Federalist vs. RepublicansFederalist
• Most had supported creation of
Constitution
• Advocated rule by “best people”
• Distrusted full democracy because they
believed the masses could be manipulated
or misguided from self interest and passion
• Tory attitudes, led by Hamilton
• Wanted strong central government
• Supported trade and protection of wealth
• Most support from merchants,
manufacturers and shippers on coast
• Focused on trade and relations with
Europe
Democrat-Republicans
• Most were Anti-Federalists
• Appealed to the middle class and poor farmers,
laborers, small shopkeepers
• Wanted weak central government to prevent
dictatorship accomplished with strict
interpretation of Constitution
• Bulk of power in states, so the people could
restrain the power of politicians
• National debt should be paid off
• Agrarian orientated
• Favored democracy of literate citizens
• Landholding important to democracy
– Slavery prevented poor farmers from being
paid so little they couldn’t afford land
• Focused more internally and westward
expansion